U.S. Men Look for Win Against Panama on Wednesday to Move on in Qualifying

ussoccer.com has compiled a comprehensive look at the matchup against Panama where the U.S. is just a win away from advancing to the final round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. From stats and scores, to highlights and notes, ussoccer.com is the best place to find info as the USA's qualifying campaign continues from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Oct, 13. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and tape delayed on Telemundo at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics.

BY THE NUMBERS: Remember who's late game heroics gave the U.S. a 1-1 draw in their last meeting in Panama City? Know the USA's record at famed RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.? Can you guess Bruce Arena's all-time World Cup qualifying record? For the complete statistical breakdown of the U.S.-Panama series, click here.

EXCLUSIVE AT ussoccer.com: ALL_ACCESS VIDEO! ussoccer.com continues to grow and now offers the next step on inside access - behind the scenes video . Reports from training camp have been available on the Web site all week with transmissions from D.C. Log on to watch Pablo Mastroeni, Tony Sanneh, and Josh Wolff talk about their return to the national team, see Cobi Jones talk about becoming third on FIFA's all-time capwinners list, listen to Eddie Johnson talk about his first cap, and more!

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The U.S. is also enjoying a remarkable 27-match unbeaten run against CONCACAF opponents dating back to Sept. 5, 2001, a 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Costa Rica.

The entire 20-man roster will train this afternoon at RFK Stadium, with players available for selection to tomorrow night's 18-man roster.

Cory Gibbs returned to the Dallas Burn after arriving back in the U.S. on Sunday morning, the defender unavailable for Wednesday's game after picking up his second caution of the tournament. Five players on the U.S. roster (Casey, Convey, Hejduk, Lewis, Pope) are carrying cards into the match.

Meanwhile, Panama has reported to Washington, D.C., with no players excused for either injury or suspension.

The U.S. has a 1-0-1 lifetime record against Panama, having met in their first-ever World Cup qualifier Sept. 8, 2004 in Panama City.

Eleven players on the U.S. roster appeared in that 1-1 draw, with eight (Keller, Hejduk, Pope, Bocanegra, Beasley, Donovan, Mathis, Casey) making the starter's list.

The U.S. holds a 24-6-10 record at home in World Cup qualifying. RFK Stadium has hosted four qualifiers, with the USA's account at 2-1-1. Overall, the team is 9-3-3 lifetime in the nation's capital.

During Bruce Arena's tenure, the USA holds a perfect 25-0-0 home record when leading at halftime. The overall record is 25-0-2, the draws coming against Korea during the 2002 World Cup and Guatemala in a qualifier on July 16, 2000. Conversely, the team is 1-12-4 overall when trailing at the half, and 1-3-3 at home.

DaMarcus Beasley continues to set the pace for U.S. attackers, his four goals best for the U.S. in 2004, and he remains the only player to appear in all 13 of the USA’s matches this year. Beasley has recorded three goals in 2006 World Cup qualifying action so far, including a pair in the USA’s 3-2 victory against Grenada on June 13 in Columbus.

Landon Donovan is the overall points leader, his three goals and five assists good for 11 points. Donovan is second in games played (12) and minutes played (1,063).

Brian McBride, who tallied his seventh career goal against El Salvador in leading the U.S. to a 2-0 win last Saturday, now has 26 career goals for the MNT, eight behind the all-time U.S. marksman, Eric Wynalda.

With his goal against El Salvador, Eddie Johnson became the seventh player since 1986 to record a goal in his first international appearance. Additionally, Johnson is the first MNT player in 29 years to accomplish the feat in a World Cup qualifying game. (The last player to make his U.S. MNT debut in a World Cup qualifying game and score a goal was Boris Bandov in 1976.)

Kerry Zavagnin made his first start in a road qualifier against El Salvador last Saturday, his second-ever start in World Cup qualifying play. The 30-year old midfielder has played seven times for the USA in 2004, including the start against El Salvador on Sept. 4 in Foxboro.

Standard de Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu is the only rostered player yet to earn his first cap for the U.S.

The U.S. has shown itself to be a 90-minute team in 2004, a credit to the side's conditioning and mentality. Of the 21 goals scored in 2004, eleven have come in the final 15 minutes. Two of those goals sealed a U.S. victory, and five of them secured a draw after the team trailed 1-0.

Kasey Keller is tops on the all-time win list for U.S. goalkeepers with 40 wins in 73 appearances, having surpassed Tony Meola in the USA's 3-0 win against Grenada in the first leg of second round qualifying on June 13 in Columbus. With the clean sheet against El Salvador, Keller upped his record-setting tally to 35 career shutouts.